This is why you shouldn’t share back to school photos of your kids on social media

Experts are warning parents to think twice before posting photos of their children online (Photo: Shutterstock)

When children start school for the first time or make the jump from primary to high school, many proud parents will share emotional photos and posts online.

However, experts are now warning against sharing ‘back to school’ or 'first day' pictures and videos on social media platforms, as they could pose a security risk to children.

Personal information

Collectively, parents in the UK share over 1.3 billion images of their children each year on social media, but one photo could potentially give away a multitude of personal information.

Sign up to our daily newsletter

The i newsletter cut through the noise

Thanks, {{email}} has been added to our newsletter.
If this is the first time you have subscribed to emails from JPIMedia Ltd, the publishers of Hartlepool Mail, please check your inbox to verify your email address.

Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later.

Submitting...

Nearly a third of these shared images (around 390 million) are posted on public social media pages which can be accessed by strangers.

A ‘back to school’ or ‘first day’ photo of your child could potentially be used to gather personal information, including the school your child goes to, location, your child’s full name and potentially their date of birth.

Experts are now urging parents to consider the potential risks of what they post online.

Tips for how to stay safe on social media

There are certain things you can do to maximise safety on social media.

Consider the consequences of posting

Consider any potential risks before you upload a picture of your child to social media. If you think there may be any risks at all, it’s better to not share posts or pictures of them online

Check online safety guides

The NSPCC, Internet Matters and Childnet all have social media protection resources for parents, which you can consult if you have any concerns

Disable location tagging

Some social networks will tag a user’s location when a photo is uploaded. To ensure maximum security you should ensure that this feature is turned off.

This will avoid disclosing your child's location and is particularly important when posting photos at their school or elsewhere outside of the home.

Maximise privacy settings

You should check that any photos or social media posts that you share will only be seen by your intended audience. Everything posted on a social network should be treated as if it is public.

Sign up to our daily newsletter

The i newsletter cut through the noise

Thanks, {{email}} has been added to our newsletter.
If this is the first time you have subscribed to emails from JPIMedia Ltd, the publishers of Hartlepool Mail, please check your inbox to verify your email address.